Lloyd William "Gary" Gearhart (August 10, 1923 – April 2, 2001) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

outfielder who played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in 1947. Gearhart began his professional career in 1944, playing in the minor leagues until 1946. On April 18, 1947, he made his major league debut at the age of 23. Playing against the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

, Gearhart went 1-for-2 with two walks in his first big league match. Used as a bench player for most of the season, Gearhart hit .246 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 179 at-bats (73 games). Despite being the Giants' most used reserve in 1947, Gearhart appeared in his final big league game on September 28. In October 1948, he was traded to the

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

of the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

with Dick Wheeler and $60,000 for

Davey Williams David Carlous Williams (November 2, 1927 – August 17, 2009) was an American professional baseball player and coach. During his Major League Baseball career, spent entirely with the New York Giants of the National League, the second baseman app ...

. Following his single season in the majors, Gearhart played in the minor leagues from 1948 to 1954 and again in 1956, hitting .298 with 981 hits in his 11-year career at that level. He later managed the

Port Arthur Sea Hawks The Port Arthur Sea Hawks were a Gulf Coast League (1950–1953), Evangeline League (1940–1942, 1954) and Big State League (1955–1956) baseball team based in Port Arthur, Texas, United States. In 1953, they were affiliated with the Dallas Eagle ...

(1956) and

Marion Mets The Marion Mets were a minor league baseball team based in Marion, Virginia that played in the Appalachian League from 1965 to 1976. They were affiliated with the New York Mets and played their home games at the Marion High School baseball field. ...

(1968), both minor league teams. Gearhart served as Chief Scout for Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and East Indiana for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

for thirteen seasons and was awarded a World Series Ring for the 1969 Mets World Series championship. After retiring from baseball, Gearhart became Director of Parks and Recreation for the city of

Xenia, Ohio Xenia ( ) is a city in southwestern Ohio and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. It is east of Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Miami Valley region. The name comes from the Greek l ...

from 1957 to 1967. Gearhart died in Dayton, Ohio on April 2, 2001.

References

{{Reflist 1923 births 2001 deaths Albany Senators players Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Ohio Beaumont Exporters players Bismarck Barons players Dayton Indians players Indianapolis Indians players Jersey City Giants players Major League Baseball outfielders New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players New York Giants (NL) players New York Mets scouts People from Montgomery County, Ohio Port Arthur Sea Hawks players Williston Oilers players